Themes I have been considering

Creation debate

Do you know that Christians typically hold one of five views regarding creation?

We have been learning about the creation of the world from different historical and scientific viewpoints and I was looking for a way to engage the students in the (valid) differences among these views, so I attempted something new. I introduced them to formal debating, which they hadn’t experienced during their middle school years. The students were open to knowing more about this process and were keen to participate, too.

The students were asked to research one of five views regarding the creation of the world and then prepare themselves to defend this position against a different view. This required them to expand their research considerations, too.

My learners prided themselves in discovering new insights into formation of the world that their opponents hadn’t considered. This became clear during the actual debates, which were enjoyed by all. I was impressed at how some students really “stepped up” with their preparation and involvement in the debating process, too. Our assessment at the end of the debates revealed that the students enjoyed the freedom of choice for the research, and expressed high levels of interest in developing their debating expertise. They were able to articulate one view of creation in depth, and offer an overview on the remaining four. Our final task included a reflective written analysis on whether or not they could subscribe to the view they debated.

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